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NASA Mission Maps Air Pollution Over US Coasts to Aid Environmental Policy

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This summer, NASA will embark on a critical mission to survey air Pollution across key regions in the United States. Between June 17 and July 2, NASA aircraft will soar over areas such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, various locations in Virginia, and parts of California to gather essential data on air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is part of NASA’s efforts to Support the Student Airborne Research Program, which provides hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate interns.

Source: WFAA/YouTube

The mission’s first phase will cover the East Coast from June 17-26, with flights operating out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Using Dynamic Aviation’s King Air B200 aircraft, researchers and students will conduct multiple flights weekly at an altitude of 1,000 feet over urban and industrial sites in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Hampton, Hopewell, and Richmond. In tandem, NASA’s P-3 aircraft will collect varied measurements across these locations to enhance the data quality.

Subsequently, from June 29 to July 2, the campaign will shift to the West Coast, focusing on Los Angeles, Imperial Valley, and Tulare Basin in California. The research flights, flying at lower altitudes than typical commercial planes, will perform specialized maneuvers such as vertical spirals from 1,000 to 10,000 feet and low-level flybys at local airports to capture detailed Pollution data near the ground.

Equipped with advanced instruments, the aircraft will monitor various greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, alongside key air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and ozone. One of the campaign’s main objectives is to validate space-based observations made by the TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, launched in April 2023. TEMPO provides hourly daytime air quality measurements across North America, which are vital for accurate environmental monitoring.

Glenn Wolfe, the principal investigator of the campaign at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, emphasized the project’s significance: “The goal is that this data we collect will feed into policy decisions that affect air quality and climate in the region.” This mission not only highlights NASA’s commitment to environmental research but also aims to provide data crucial for shaping future environmental policies and practices.

For more insights into the Student Airborne Research Program, visit NASA’s dedicated page here.